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Welcome on the website of the European Ostomy Association !

European Ostomy Association (EOA) is a non for profit and a NGO organization for ostomate associations all over Europe, North Africa and The Middle East. A total of 42 organizations belong to EOA. EOA is one of five regions organized in The International Ostomy Association(IOA) which has a total of 65 member organizations all over the world. The current president of EOA is Arne Holte from Norway and the vice president is Ria Smeijers from The Netherlands. The EOA contact office is situated at Deutsche ILCO in Bonn, Germany

An ostomate has removed parts of her digestive system due to severe illness like cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases. Some will have removed the urine bladder mainly because of cancer. The ostomate will have to carry a plastic bag on his/her stomach for stool or urine. Most ostomates will have this situation as long as they lives, but some may get revised surgery giving them internal pouches either for urine or stool. An ostomate will have to change the bag regularly – some even more times a day. Read more about ostomy on the website of the IOA

The aims and objectives for EOA are stated in the Constitution – and the goals to be achieved, is stated in the Charter of Ostomates Rights . It is well known that ostomates in many countries within EOA have lots of problems. Some of the problems are related to discrimination, some to the fact that the appliances (the bag they have to carry) are not available in all countries.

One very important goal for EOA is to help organizations all over EOA to have the Charter implemented and accepted by the authorities. Just coming in contact with authorities can be a great problem in many countries. Have EOA backing will often be a great advantage. But as EOA have members in great part of the world – and with a great number of languages, it takes great resourses to back every association in their effort to get authorities to accept the Charter.

On this website you will find short information on the different member associations. All contact information you will find at the Directory where you can find every member associations homepage with information in their own language. That is the reason why this website is only in English. You can also get updated info from the EOA president at the blog on IOA website . There you can also sign up for the IOA-today, a newsletter for ostomates all over the world.

If you are an ostomate and not member of any of the organization in any country, just go to the directory, choose your own country and find all info about how to be a member. Or you may send an e-mail to the EOA-president